As it turns out, the 42-year-old Henderson (29-8 MMA, 6-2 UFC) already has his wish. He meets ex-champ Lyoto Machida (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) in the pay-per-view co-headliner of UFC 157, which takes place Feb. 23 at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

And it looks as though Henderson’s boss isn’t in any rush to map out this year’s title schedule. Beyond Chael Sonnen’s fight with champ Jon Jones at UFC 159 in April, there is no official No. 1 contender in the 205-pound division.

Of course, there are more names in the hat than before. Machida, who lost a guaranteed shot when he turned down a short-notice fight with Jones at UFC 152, could return to favor with an impressive win over Henderson. Then there’s young standout Alexander Gustafsson, who recently outpointed ex-champ Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC on FOX 5.

As recently as this past month, Gustafsson was even earmarked as an injury replacement if Henderson couldn’t compete. UFC President Dana White reported hearing that Henderson’s knee, which forced him to withdraw from UFC 151 and provided the catalyst for the event’s cancellation, wasn’t up to snuff.

Not surprisingly, Henderson is more optimistic. He said his knee hasn’t bothered him in a while, though it can’t be considered 100 percent because he’s still “careful in certain situations.”

Still, he gave no indication that his plans to fight Machida have changed.

Henderson, a two-time UFC title challenger at middleweight and light-heavyweight, has already seen injuries set back his career. But he added that scheduling is another possible opponent, hinting that his decision to wait for the winner of a bout between Jones and ex-champ Rashad Evans at UFC 145 may have done as much damage.

Assuming his health isn’t an issue, he doesn’t want to repeat the same mistake in 2013, which will bring him closer to the retirement he’s told fans will come within the next couple years.

So if Henderson is in line for a belt, it will be because the stars aligned.

“I feel that I’m probably the guy to beat in the weight class,” he said. “I know that if I fought Jones, I’d knock him on his ass. But if I don’t get that opportunity, I’m not going to sit and dwell on it and wait for it. I waited last year, and I’m not going to do it this year.”

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